Chapter 20: Everyone's Understanding

It was common for sisters to borrow jewelry from one another. And it was just as common for them to fight when they were refused. But the Lady had not been in the circle of sisters. Her clothes and her belongings were a source of envy for all the other young ladies in the house, but no one had ever thought of borrowing them. There was an unspoken divide: she was different from them.

But now, she was the same. "She is no longer just our late uncle's daughter," Lady Gwynn said, pointing to herself. "She is the same as us. We are all young ladies of the Thorne family, and we are all the same."

The Lady had always been a young Lady of the Thorne family, and Serena nodded. Clarice shook her head. "That's just what you think."

"Grandmother thinks so, too," Gwynn retorted. "Otherwise, would she have gone out of her way to borrow the necklace for me before?"

Clarice fell silent. No, she would not have. Serena nodded. "Grandmother would have just beat you."

Gwynn played with the pearls. "Since we are all young ladies of the Thorne family, we should all listen to Grandmother. She will love whoever listens to her, and with her love, anything is possible. The Lady should learn to be a good girl now."

Serena considered this. Even though she was young, Grandmother did not like her very much. She gave up the idea of going to Elara's room to see what she could borrow. She did not want to get beaten by her grandmother and then again by her mother.

Clarice nodded. "Grandmother doesn't like her. But she is going to leave soon to get married in the Capital. It's so far away. We won't see her for years." In that case, it did not matter if Grandmother liked her or not. Serena nodded again.

"It is very important for a woman to have her family's love, even after she is married," Gwynn said, displeased. "And the Lady may not even be able to get married."

Clarice laughed. "That may be true for you."

Everyone was like that. Gwynn touched the lustrous pearls. No one knows if the Lady can get married or not.

As night fell, the lights were lit throughout the Thorne manor. Glynnis placed a lamp on the desk, but Elara, after washing up, did not come to write as she usually did. "My Lady, you came back so early today. Are you tired?" Glynnis asked. "You should rest for a day tomorrow."

Elara shook her head. "I am not tired." She looked down at her arm. Although she had been in the carriage and was wrapped up to protect herself, she had been exposed to the sun for too long. The wounds on her skin were beginning to ache again. It was as if her body was protesting her staying in Riverbend Hold for too long, delaying her journey to the Capital.

I cannot rest. I do not have time.

Glynnis did not press the matter and began to prepare the bed. They did not have any other maids in the courtyard, so the silence was complete. Glynnis could not help but turn and look at Elara's elongated shadow under the lamp. In the night, she was still wrapped up, standing motionless in the shadows, as if she were a world away.

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"My Lady, today was my fault," Glynnis said, kneeling. After Mistress Alder had taken the necklace, neither of them had mentioned the incident. It was as if it had never happened, but it had to be dealt with.

Elara's thoughts were interrupted. She thought for a moment before she understood what the remorseful girl was talking about. She shook her head. "What does Grandmother borrowing a necklace have to do with you?"

Glynnis raised her head. "It is my fault, My Lady. I was not careful, and I let someone see our valuables, which brought this disaster upon us."

Elara laughed. "That is not a very good argument." Glynnis was surprised that her Lady was laughing. "Why is it not a good argument?"

Elara was also surprised by her own laughter. But the argument was truly funny. "I do not need to flaunt my wealth. Everyone knows I have it, and they always have." She gestured for Glynnis to get up. "Stand and speak with me."

Glynnis rose, but her face was even more sorrowful. Even if everyone knew of her Lady's wealth, no one had dared to offend her before. Now, even a maid could reach out and touch her things. This was not a small matter.

"They are bullying you, My Lady," Glynnis said, lowering her head. It was just as she had expected. Without her father, Lord Anson, the Lady's status in the family had changed. This kind of thing would never have happened before.

Elara smiled. Bullying? She had never been in a fight with other girls. She had never worried about what to wear, or who to marry, or what to give as a dowry. She had never had to worry about the distance between her relatives. She had never had to worry about what others had that she did not. Even when people looked at her with envy, they could not harm her. No one could even get close to her.

It had been that way when her father was alive, and it had been that way when she was in the Capital with her fiancé. Even though the Blackwood family had secretly harbored ill intentions, on the surface, they had treated her with nothing but sincere affection for ten years.

Bullying. This was the first time that word had ever been used in connection with her. "My Lady, do not laugh," Glynnis said, sighing. "Everyone saw what happened today. She bullied you and was not punished. From now on, everyone will feel like they can bully you."

"Why?" Elara asked.

"Because the Grand Matron is protecting her," Glynnis said, her face full of worry. The poor girl, a child who had just lost her father, would not understand that her grandmother would treat her this way. "My Lady, the Grand Matron is the head of the household, and everyone looks to her for guidance. If she does not like you, no one will. Today, Lady Gwynn borrowed a necklace. Tomorrow, another young lady will come to borrow something else, and after that, they will simply take what they want."

Elara laughed again. It was an interesting prospect.

"My Lady!" Glynnis stamped her foot.

Elara raised her hand. "I understand what you are saying. But I have never been wronged, and I will not be wronged. There is no need to worry about this. I will solve it tomorrow. Go and get some rest."

She will solve it tomorrow? Glynnis felt a mix of hope and unease. She did not want her Lady to have to beg for the Grand Matron's favor, or to have to make a scene in front of everyone. There seemed to be no dignified way to solve this.

Glynnis was worried and uneasy, but Elara had already gone to bed. Glynnis did not dare to disturb her further. She put out the lamp and left the room. She would not be able to sleep tonight.

Many people would not be sleeping tonight. Everyone was talking about the incident. Many had guessed that this day would come, but no one had expected it so soon.

"Mother is not very pleased," Lady Seraphina said to her husband. "The Lady has been so distant lately."

Lord Cassian was not interested in the affairs of the inner court, but he understood the situation. He shook his head. "She is still a child, and she has been through so much. Why should Mother be so petty with a child?"

Seraphina could not speak ill of her mother-in-law. She smiled discreetly. "Mother only wants to be close to her."

"It will happen in time," Lord Cassian said, yawning. A necklace was a small matter. "Just try to appease them. Go to bed, you have a lot to do tomorrow."

In the inner court, a necklace was not a small matter at all. The men did not understand, and Seraphina smiled without saying another word.